Rotary marsh land ditcher



Oct. 11, 3949.. w. E. RoDRlGuE ROTARY MARSH LAND DITCHER 2 Shee'ts-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 22, 1947 ATTCI RN EYE Oct. 11, 1949- w. E. RoDRlGul-z ROTARY MARSH LAND DITCHER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I N VEN TOR.

Filed oct. 22, 1,947

Patented Oct. 1l, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ROTARY MARSH LAND DITCHER Washington Etienne Rodrigue, Larose, La.

Application October 22, 1947, Serial No. 781,263

4 Claims.

My present invention relates generally to excavating, dredging, or digging, and more specifically to an improved rotary `ditcher for marshlands, Yof the floating and self-propelled type, which while well adapted for various purposes and uses, is especially designed for use in cutting channels or dredging .and digging lateral drain ditches.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of an appliance of this type by means lof which the soil or mud from marshlands or swamplands may readily be removed and deposited laterally of the resulting ditch, and thereby -iform a channel of water for the float or pontoon forming the 'supporting base for the operating mechanism. The appliance is equipped with a pair of oppositely revolving, and combined rotary diggers and propellers for forming the ditch and propelling the craft, and motor operated means are employed with power transmission mechanism under manual control for operating the combined diggers and propellers.

The invention consists essentially in certain novel features of construction and combinations and arrangements of p-arts as will hereinafter be described and more particularly set forth in the appended claims; and the invention includes a minimum number of parts that may with facility be manufactured at low cost of production, land the parts may be assembled with convenience to constitute a durable and eiiicient craft or appliance that performs its functions with a minimum expenditure of time and labor.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustnated one complete example, and `a, modification, of an appliance in which my invention is physically embodied according to one mode I have so far devised for the practical application of the principles -of the invention. It will however be understood that changes `and alterations are contemplated and may be made in these exemplifying drawings and mechanical structures, within the scope of my claims, without departing from the principles `of my invention. l

Figure 1 is a plan View of the water-craft or hull, with the removable ydeck iomitted, equipped with the ditching mechanism of my invention.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view, including the removable deck or cover, as at line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a ltop plan view of the craft with the deck thereon.

Figure 4 is .an enlarged detail front elevation showing the pair of oppositely revolving com- 2 bined rotary diggers and propellers, together wit the rear mud-guard.

Figure 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 showing a modified arrangement of the rotary blades, t0- gether with a cross-section of the ditch.

Figure 6 is a detail section at line 6-6 of Fig. 4 through one of the straight bevel-edge blades of the rotary diggers.

Figure '7 is a transverse vertical sectional view at `line 1-1 of Fig. 1 showing the sprocket chain drive for the two oppositely revolving operating shafts.

Figure 8 is an enlarged longitudinal vertical sectional view at line 8-8 of Fig. 1 showing the concentrically arranged operating shafts and the hub portions of the rotary diggers.

Figure 9 is a transverse horizontal sectional view at line 9-9 of Fig. 2 showing the power reducing, reversing and transmission gears.

In the physical embodiment of my invention I employ a scow, pontoon or hull P of desired size and shape that may be equipped With necessary accessories and that is substantially hollow having a bottom and upwardly extended sides and ends, and which is -provided with a bow E, a stern F, and a deck D having required hatches, as H, H. The hull is equipped With a suitable motor M `and its control lever L for manual use by an operat-or stationed on the deck covering, the motor, the power transmission mechanism and the operating mechanism being mounted upon a main frame of channel bars or girders I and 2. ,The longitudinal girders and spaced cross beams 3, 3 of the frame are rigidly supported within the interior of the hull, and the motor shaft 4 is journaled in bearings B of fa transversely arranged gear box 5 located at the approximate longitudinal center of the craft.

Within the gear box are mounted power transmission gearing for reducing the speed of the motor shaft, which gearing, as best seen in Fig. 9 includes a pinion 6 on the shaft 4 that meshes with a larger gear 'I' mounted on the gear shaft 8 that is journaled in bearings B, B, and a driving gear 9 on shaft 8 meshes with a driven gear I0 on the operating shaft II to reverse same, which is axially alined with the motor shaft, and extends forwardly through the bow end of the hull, with suitable bearings B, B.

As best seen in Fig. 7 the gear shaft 8 operates a sprocket chain drive including a sprocket wheel I2, a driven sprocket wheel I3, and a sprocket chain I4, the sprocket wheel I3 being mounted upon the rear end of a tubular operating shaft I5 that is concentrically arranged on the operating shaft I I and provided with anti-friction bearings IS, and also journaled in usual bearings B, B.

By means of the chain-drive the tubular shaft is rotated in a direction opposite to the operating shaft II, which is reversed by gears 9 and iii and the front ends of both of these operating shafts project forwardly through the front end E of the hull, where hubs II and I8 are rigidly mounted upon the tubular shaft and the enclosed shaft, respectively, and separated by a thrust washer I9.

The two oppositely revolving rotary cutters digger-propellers 2d, 2l are made up of four blades each that are rigidly affixed to the central hubs I8 and I1, and the straight blades of Fig. 4 at their outer ends terminate in inclined flanges providing diggers or scoops 22 that remove the-soil or mud from the swamp or marsh and deposit it laterally as indicated by the arrows in Fig. at the opposite sides of the ditch as the appliance advances through the channel being cut.

As indicated in Fig. 6 the blades are formed with beveled edges as at 23 and the flanges at the tips are-sloped to insure a propelling movement of the rotary diggers for advancing the floating hull.. l

Various changes and alterations may be made in the disclosure of the invention, as for instance, in Fig. 5 the combined diggers and propellers may have curved blades as 24 in lieu of the straight blades in Fig. 4, and theseblades 24 are equipped with the cutters or diggers 22 and the bevel edges 23 for efficient performance of the diggerpropellers.

As thus described it will be apparent that the self-propelled craft is capable of -cutting a channel or ditch with a sufficient depth of water to accommodate its hull, and by means of the rotary diggers a cleanly-cut and straight drain ditch is vfashioned through the marshland or l swamp for desired purposes.

Having Vthus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. In a ditch forming machine, the combination which comprises an elongated substantially hollow hull having a bottom with upwardly extended sides and ends, a plurality of spaced aligned rotary cutters having hubs with radially disposed blades thereon spaced from one end of the hull, the diameter of said rotary cutters being suicient to cut a ditch the width and depth of which is greater than the width and depth of the hull, the tips of said blades formed to provide propelling means for the hull in the ditch with the hull floating on water therein as the `cutters rotate, a centrally disposed shaft longitudinally positioned in and extended from the 'end of the .hull from which the rotary cutters extend and on which one of said rotary cutters `is carried, a tubular shaft surrounding a portion of said centrally disposed shaft and on which another one of the cutters is carried and means rotating the cutters through the shaft with one cutter turning clockwise and the other counterclocltwise.

2. In a ditch forming machine, the combination which comprises an elongated substantially hoilow hull, a plurality of spaced aligned rotary cutters having hubs with radially disposed blades thereon spaced from one end of the hull, a centrally disposed shaft longitudinally positioned in and extended from vthe end of the hull from which the rotary cutters extend and on which one of the said rotary cutters is carried, a tubular shaft surrounding a portion of said centrally disposed shaft and on which another one of the cutters is carried the diameter of said rotary cutters being sufficient to cut a ditch the width and depth of which is greater than the width and depth of the hull, the outer edges of the blades of said cutters being beveled and tips of said blades being inclined rearwardly and outwardly providing propelling means for the hull in the ditch with the hull floating on water in the ditch, and means rotating the cutters through the shafts with one cutter turning clockwise and the other counterclockwise.

3. In a ditch forming machine, the co1nbina tion which comprises an elongated substantially open hull, a longitudinally positioned shaft journaled in the hull and extended from one end thereof, a tubular shaft positioned on and rotatably mounted on said longitudinally positioned shaft, a rotary cutter having a hub 'with radially disposed blades thereon carried by and xedly mounted on the outer end of said longitudinally positioned shaft, a similar cutter carried by and iixediy mounted on the said tubular shaft 'and spaced from the cutter on the longitudinally positioned shaft the diameter of said rotary cutters being suincient to cut a ditch the width and depth of which greater than the width and depth of the hull, and means rotating the cutters through the said shafts with one cutter rotating in a direction opposite to that of the other, the tips of the bades of said cutters shaped to provide propelling means for propelling the hull through the ditch formed by the cutters with the hull oating on water therein.

4. In a ditch forming machine, the combination which comprises an elongated 'substantially open hull, a longitudinally positioned shaft j ournaled in the hull and extended from one end thereof, a tubular shaft positioned around and rotatably mounted on said longitudinally positioned shaft, a rotary cutter having a hub with radially disposed blades thereon carried by the outer end of said longitu-r dinally positioned shaft, the blades of said 'cutter having inclined sections at the tips with the outer edges of said inclined sections sloping inwardly from the leading edges of the blades providing propelling means forr drawing the hull through a ditch formed by the cutters with the hull floating on water in the ditch, a similar cutter carried by the said tubular shaft and spaced from the cutter on the longitudinally positioned shaft, a counter-shaft journaled in the hull, transmission gears for rotating the counter-shaft from the longitudinally positioned shaft the diameter of said rotary cutters being sufficient to cut a ditch the width and depth of which is greater than the width and depth of the hull and in a direction opposite to that ofthe longitudinally positioned shaft, a chain trained over sprockets on the tubular shaft and countershaft for rotating the tubular shaft from the counter shaft, and a motor positioned in the hull for rotating the longitudinally disposed shaft.

WASHINGTON ETIENNE RODRIGUE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,839,929 Powell Jan. i5, 1932 .1,888,085 Humbel Nov. 15, 1932 

